Eric the Red
by NeoVenus22
Summary: PRDT. Conner falls ill, and the team need a quick replacement Red Ranger. Who better to assign than Conner's twin brother Eric?
1. The Problem

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and its characters, as always, do not belong to me.

Author's note: here's something I've been tinkering with for awhile. What if something happened to Conner, and the Rangers needed another teammate, and fast? Who could possibly fill that spot? Trent/Kira, Conner/Krista, with a few surprises down the line.

* * *

Conner McKnight was a fearless leader, the Red Power Ranger, who employed shrewd battle tactics and always put himself in the line of fire in the name of his team.

Conner McKnight was snoring loudly.

His head was buried in his folded arms, and he was spread out across the workstation in the science classroom that doubled as his homeroom.

Kira Ford reached over and gave him a sharp poke between the shoulder blades. "Conner. Wake up."

"Unnh," the boy murmured, sitting up, his brown hair falling messily into his face. He huffed a breath out of the corner of his mouth, and the loose strands fluttered out of the way. "What's going on. Trouble?"

"No, idiot. First period is about to start, and you're sleeping. What's up?"

"I'm just tired, is all," he yawned.

"Give him a break, Kira," commented Ethan James, on Conner's left. "The kid pulls in triple duty, with school and soccer and the other thing. He's allowed to be tired."

"Yeah, but Mesogog hasn't attacked in a week," pointed out Trent Fernandez, on Kira's right. He kept his voice low as he elaborated on the 'other thing' aspect of their lives. "So Conner's leading the life of a normal student these days."

"My bro's coming in at the end of the week," said Conner. "Mom's totally going psycho. Mr. Clean has nothing on her. I feel like I haven't slept right in ages."

"Well, go and take a nap straight after practice," said Kira. "We need you out there, Con, and you can't be falling down on the job."

"When have I ever fallen down on the job?" he said. "I take it seriously, Kira."

"I never said you didn't," she said gently, rolling her eyes. Dr. O. came in the room before she could say anything further, and with a slight groan, Conner sat up straight and made an effort to pay attention—or at least look like he was.

* * *

At lunch a few days later, Conner fell unceremoniously into his seat fifteen minutes into the period. Kira raised her eyebrows. "In the entire time I've known you, you've never been late for lunch," she said.

"Dude, have you guys seen Krista at all today?" said Conner.

"Why would you be looking for Krista?" said Ethan suspiciously.

"It's nothing," he said, waving aside the comment. "School thing. I just wanted to ask her a question. Was she in math, dude?" he asked Trent.

"Didn't you know?" said Trent. "Krista's out with mono."

Conner paled a little. "Mono?"

"Yeah." Trent took a bite of his salad, unconcerned, but Conner was looking a little panicky.

"Con? Is everything okay, dude?" said Ethan.

"Mono's...catching. Right?"

Kira smirked, elbowing Trent with a secret look. "The kissing disease," she proclaimed.

With his two other friends flirting, Ethan had the chance to study Conner. He was definitely looking a little disturbed. "_No_," Ethan realized. Conner cast him a horrified look.

"Ethe? What?" said Kira, looking over.

"Dude, were you planning on at least _telling_ us?" said Ethan.

"What, you kept Cassidy a secret from me as long as you possibly could," said Conner hotly. "I mean, you told Kira."

"That was different," Ethan said, but his voice faltered, because he knew it was pretty much the same.

"Wait...you and Krista?" said Kira. Conner looked at her guiltily. "But you two have absolutely nothing in common...she doesn't even _like_ you."

"She likes _some_ parts of him," muttered Ethan.

Conner flushed. "Ethe—"

"How often?" asked Trent. They all turned and stared at him, wide-eyed. "I mean, so we know how great the risk is," he said hastily. "We need to get you to a doctor and have you checked out."

"I really don't—" coughed Conner, floundering under their sharp stares. "A couple times a week," he admitted. "More like, well, five."

"Five times a week?" said Ethan incredulously.

"In between classes. We're both busy on weekends."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Awhile..." he said weakly.

"I can't believe you've been keeping this from us," said Kira. "We don't keep secrets from each other, Conner. Remember?"

"Look, I'm _sorry_, okay?" he said, a little desperately. "Can we just let it go?" But he had the feeling it wouldn't be dropped that easily.

* * *

That Friday afternoon, Kira, Ethan, and Trent were visiting Conner in his bedroom. He was lying underneath a thick red comforter, a television perched at the end of his bed, with a soccer game paused. "Great, Conner, just great. You're watching old Man U games?" said Ethan, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not supposed to get out of bed, dude," Conner defended himself.

"So it's definitely mono then, isn't it," said Kira resignedly, taking a seat in Conner's desk chair, tossing the jersey on the back of it to the floor in disgust.

"Yeah."

"Thanks so much, McKnight," said Ethan. "You're going to be out of commission for a couple of weeks, at least. What are we supposed to do?"

"You guys are totally good," the boy in bed insisted. "You'll be fine on your own."

"Conner, don't be crazy. We need you," said Trent. "We can't operate the Megazord without Tyrannosaurus, you know that. You and Ethan can form a half-Zord of your own, but Kira and Ethan can't."

"Just have Dr. O. put Brachio into battle," said Conner with a shrug. "That thing's bigger than the Megazord."

"But it's not an offensive vehicle," said Trent. "We might be able to handle ourselves in hand-to-hand, Conner, but when it comes to the big guns, we need you out there."

"Thanks, guys. But if going to school is too much, then I'm pretty sure that saving the world isn't going to make the cut," said Conner.

"Well what exactly are we supposed to do?" said Ethan. "We need a Red Ranger."

Downstairs, the front door slammed. "Hey, Mom! Dorkwad! I'm here!"

In the chair, Kira smiled slightly. "I think we've just solved our problem."


	2. The Solution

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and its characters, as always, do not belong to me. 

Author's note: here's something I've been tinkering with for awhile. What if something happened to Conner, and the Rangers needed another teammate, and fast? Who could possibly fill that spot? Trent/Kira, Conner/Krista, with a few surprises down the line.

* * *

The door to Conner's room burst open. "Hey, Con, Mom said—" Eric McKnight cut off when he saw Conner's friends spread about. "Oh, hey," he said, with a casual wave and an easy grin. The moment passed as he returned his attention to his twin. "Conner, Mom said you had mono. _Please_ tell me that you at least got it from making out with a hottie."

Conner grinned, "Of course!"

Kira sighed. "Oh, please."

"Hey, everybody," said Eric. He glanced at Trent, and stuck out his hand. "I'm Conner's brother Eric."

Trent raised his hand, trained by Anton Mercer, and believing that Eric wanted to shake hands. Eric, however, curled his fingers into a fist, and looked at Trent expectantly until the boy followed suit. Eric bumped fists with him, then turned to Kira and Ethan, whom he already knew. "Hey, guys, how's it going? Ethe, please tell me you have a copy of _Last Destiny IV_. I was playing _V_ and I think I missed something about Kuuchiro's back story..."

"Dude, sure thing. Have you gotten past the Magna Forest yet? A little bit about his parentage is revealed there if you find the Chest of Cedric."

"Problem is, I keep dying when I'm fighting the witch triplets. Bad things really do come in threes. I'm running out of life potions."

"I will never understand the lure of the joystick," said Kira, shaking her head.

Eric glanced over at the sound of her voice, his eyes lighting up. "Kira! You get hotter every time I see you."

"Watch yourself, dude," warned Ethan. "She and Trent are a _thing_."

"Ethan," Kira admonished.

"That true?" asked Eric.

She glanced over his shoulder at Trent, blushed a little, and nodded. "Yeah, well..."

"Man, move your feet, lose your seat, huh?" he said, shaking his head with mock regret. "Oh well. Hope you kids are happy."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. I think. Um, where's your mom?"

"She's getting some cookies or something. You know how Mom loves to feed people."

Kira casually went over and shut the door. "Eric, could you sit down?"

"Um..."

"It's nothing big, I just wanted to ask you something"

"Is it kinky?" asked Eric, and seconds later, was treated to a pillow smacking him in the back of the head. "Dude!" He looked over at his twin. "That's your first warning," said Conner.

Kira only smiled at Eric and indicated that it was okay, something that surprised the hell out of the three in the room that knew her. If any of them had said it, they'd have been killed, and they knew it. But Kira was on a mission, and was not about to be distracted by Eric's offbeat and annoying sense of humor.

Eric sat in the desk chair Kira had vacated, having no other options, because Conner rarely stopped moving and only had the one chair. "Eric, what do you know about the Power Rangers?" she posed.

"Um, which ones? 'Cause there were some in Blue Bay Harbor, but I know there are some here in Reefside, too."

"The Reefside ones."

"Not much. There are five, dinosaur-themed. Red, black, blue, yellow, and white," he ticked the colors off on his fingers.

"Why does red always get named first?" whined Ethan.

"Dude, let it freaking go, okay?" said Conner.

"Oh, yeah, sure, easy for you to say. I was _third_," said Ethan, but Kira rolled her eyes as her best friends got into their usual argument. She looked at Eric.

"Do you know anything about the Rangers' identities?" she continued.

Eric laughed. "'Course not. I don't even live here."

Kira's brow furrowed slightly. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Dude, I told you we could trust him," spoke up Conner.

"Conner, for the love of—not _now_, okay? We said I'd do this, all right?"

"I didn't agree to that," said Conner. "He's my brother, I should do it."

"It's his last mission for awhile, Kira, you might as well," said Trent.

"Conner, you freaking suck when it comes to speaking with people," she said, never turning to face him, and saving him from her annoyed expression, although he'd seen it enough times in the past. "Would you just let me deal with it?"

"Yeah, I can keep a secret..." said Eric, glancing at each of the people in the room with confusion. "What's going on?"

"Eric, we're the Power Rangers," said Kira.

Eric stared at the blond girl in the black tank top. "I..."

"Me, Ethan, Trent, our science teacher, and Conner. We're the Power Rangers."

"Your _science teacher_?" said Eric, being very much like Conner in the respect that he picked up on the least important part of the statement. "Dude, _why_?"

"Long story," offered Kira impatiently.

"Yeah right, Conner's a Power Ranger," Eric scoffed. "I mean, dude, I know my brother, and the dude's good at soccer, but he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag."

"Oh, c'mon," said Conner. "We took karate classes together when we were kids."

"Yeah, and which of us got accepted to a ninja school?"

"Do you think that has anything to do with the fact that you _live_ right by it, where I'm several hours away?" retorted Conner. "And don't forget that you got kicked out."

"I wasn't kicked out! They let me back in," he said defensively. "Dude, you know, mono's got you all weirded out, you're getting your friends to put together this crazy story about Power Rangers."

"Ready," said Conner, and Eric blinked at him, because it was a completely random and inappropriate word to the argument. Conner pulled something off his arm and tossed it across the room to Eric, who had ninja reflexes and caught it easily. He stared at the object in his hands. It was a weird red thing, in the shape of a dinosaur head. "What the hell, dude?"

"That's my morpher," his twin explained. "We're Rangers, dude. The four of us."

Eric stared at the morpher, then stared at his brother for a long time, as things finally started to click in his brain. The way they'd always seemed color-coded. Conner's red car, red comforter, and wardrobe of red t-shirts. Anything that had ever seemed weird about Conner's calls, and that was a lot. Their mom freaking out because Conner would disappear for hours on end with a halfhearted excuse. It all made sense. "You guys are Rangers," he realized aloud.

Kira nodded. "Eric, we need your help."

"Help the Rangers? Hell yeah."

"Conner has mono, and he can't fight for awhile. We need a Red Ranger." Kira bit her lip, glancing at him with apprehension. "We were hoping you would fill in."

"You're saying you want me to take his place? Be a Power Ranger?"

The four friends turned to look at each other, communicating without words the way that only seasoned teammates could.

"We want you to be a Power Ranger," Kira confirmed.

"Please, bro," added Conner. "We really need your help."

Eric stared at them for a long moment. "Yeah!"

"Wait...you're agreeing?" said Trent.

"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I? Being a Power Ranger is totally a dream come true."

"I don't think you realize exactly what you're committing yourself to," hedged Ethan.

"What, now you don't want my help?" said Eric.

"No, I mean, we do, it's just that—"

"This is a big thing, bro," said Conner seriously. "You have to give up a lot. Everything else becomes secondary, but you have to make it look like you're still keeping it first, so that no one gets suspicious. You have to still go to school, still have a job, extracurricular activities, whatever. You don't get a lot of sleep, you don't get any credit or thanks, and you get the crap kicked out of you."

"So why are you guys doing it?" asked Eric. He'd known Conner his entire life, obviously, and he had never known Conner to put anybody before himself.

They exchanged a look he couldn't begin to interpret. "We didn't have a choice," Trent admitted quietly.

"But you do, Eric," said Kira. "We're asking from a lot from you, and you won't fully understand it for awhile. But we need your help."

"Since Conner screwed up," cut in Ethan.

"I didn't screw up, I got sick."

"You got sick from sneaking around behind our backs to make out with the high school's resident horticulture expert. That's a level of geek that I can't even touch."

"Oh, you're just jealous because Cassidy dumped your ass—"

"Would you two _shut up_?" said Kira, turning around and glaring at them, brushing her hair out of her face with exasperation. "I'm trying to save your butts here."

"Now's not the time to be bickering, Kira," said Trent gently.

"She doesn't know how to get along with us when she isn't screaming at us," said Conner.

"If you weren't in that bed..."

"Oh, you would do what, exactly?I have a hard time being afraid of someone who only comes up to my shoulder"

"That does it. I let you get away with so much, just because you're—"

"If you weren't so busy spending all of your time making out with Trent, we'd—" Conner said at the same time, the both of their voices rising with every word as they attempted to outdo each other.

"I'll do it," said Eric.

The argument stopped dead, and all four Rangers looked over. "You'll do it?" said Ethan.

"Yeah. You guys obviously need all the help you can get. Just tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it."

"You'll have to—"

"Keep it secret, I know. I can, don't worry. And since I'm on break from the Academy, I don't have to worry about school. Mom will be so busy taking care of her first born here that she won't notice if I disappear at random. Free time-wise, I'm better suited for this than any of you. Fighting-wise, I'm better suited for this than any of you, actually." The other McKnight frowned in thought. "You know, really, I'm a perfect Power Ranger. How is it I keep getting skipped over for these things?"

The other four stared at him, without an answer. "I mean, I started at the Academy right after they cut the Ranger program, _just_ as you guys were getting chosen. Talk about your lousy timing. I'm so perfect for this."

The others all glanced at Conner, who could only shrug. "He is _so_ your brother," muttered Kira.


	3. The Meeting

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and its characters, as always, do not belong to me. 

Summary: What if something happened to Conner, and the Rangers needed another teammate, and fast? Can Eric McKnight finally step out of his twin brother's shadow?

* * *

They had convinced Eric McKnight to join the team in place of his brother Conner. Now came the true battle: convincing Dr. Oliver that this was a good plan. Especially considering that they'd already gone ahead with it.

"We're doomed. He's going to kill us," muttered Trent as Conner's red Mustang barreled down Valencia Drive on the outskirts of Reefside, towards the wooden house they called their second home.

"Dude," said Ethan plaintively, "you've been working for the dark side too long. Here we don't punish by killing." He swallowed hard. "Just failing science, destroying your GPA, never getting into a good college, waiting tables for the rest of your life..." He cast the backseat a panicked look. "We're doomed."

"You guys are overreacting," said Kira. "Dr. O. isn't going to kill us. _Or_ fail us," she added. "We were in a tight spot. We did what we had to do."

"You three seriously need to chill out," said Eric from behind the wheel. "Let's get some tunes, huh?" He reached over to turn on the radio, but all three of them yelled at once, and from the passenger seat, Ethan dove to push Eric's hand out of the way.

"Dude, _no_," said Ethan, wide-eyed. "Don't do it."

"What, is the car gonna blow up or something if I turn on the radio?" said Eric. "Special Ranger modifications or something?"

The three seasoned Rangers looked at each other. "Yeah, something like that," said Trent. It was easier to have Eric believe that than to have him know that Conner simply didn't allow anyone to touch anything in his car except the door handles and the seatbelts. Mrs. McKnight had insisted that Eric be able to borrow the car, and Conner, being bedridden, had been in no position to argue.

"Is this is it up ahead here?" asked Eric, nodding at the house coming up on the right.

"Yep," said Ethan, wincing instinctively because Dr. O.'s black Jeep was in the driveway. "Of course it's in the driveway, he lives here," he muttered to himself under his breath.

Eric pulled in, wheels crunching gravel, killed the engine, and hopped from the vehicle. "This girl rides like a dream," he said, fondly patting the warm hood of the Mustang. "I always knew Conner was Mom and Dad's favorite."

"C'mon," said Kira, poking at his shoulder in an effort to get him to move forward. He fell to the back of the pack as the kids let themselves inside, pulled at the mouth of a model T-rex skeleton, and opened up a panel in the floor.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Eric. "The dude's Batman!"

They trooped down the stairs in a row, Ethan taking the lead, then Trent, then Kira, then Eric, who couldn't stop gaping at everything. Sitting at the console in front of six large screens were two people, a man and a woman. The woman had thick, dark hair, this sort of burgundy color that reminded Eric of his mom's couch, and the man had spiky black hair, a tight black shirt, and a goatee. They whirled their chairs in synchronization and stared at the Rangers.

"Conner, what are you doing here?" the dude, presumably Dr. O., said, getting to his feet. "You should be at home in bed."

"Um, Dr. O.," said Ethan hesitantly, drawing the teacher's attention away from the McKnight for a moment. "So, you know how Conner has mono, right?"

"Right. Which is exactly why he shouldn't be here."

"Well, you know that means that we're short a Ranger, right?"

"Right, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"That's the thing," said Ethan. "We, uh...well, we sorta already crossed that ourselves."

"I don't understand."

"Dr. O.," said Kira, sending Ethan a 'shut up and let me handle this' glare, "this is Eric."

"The Quantum Ranger?"

"The what?" She shook her head, looking both puzzled and frustrated. "Whatever. No. This is Eric _McKnight_." The teacher stared at her. "Conner's twin brother."

"Conner has a twin?"

"And they call _me_ dumb," muttered Eric.

"Eric," the three teens chorused warningly.

"Sorry," he said. He smiled his best McKnight smile at Dr. O. "Hey, dude. I'm Eric, Conner's brother."

Dr. O. held his gaze for a long, nerve-wracking moment. "Don't call me dude," he said. Ethan cracked up, and since Ethan seemed relaxed, Eric felt some of his tension melting. The science teacher-slash-Power Ranger gave him an appraising look, then turned back to his charges. "Explain," he said sharply.

"Well, Eric was coming to visit, and Conner got mono," offered Trent. "We needed a replacement and fast, and who better to do Conner's job than his identical twin?"

The woman, still seated, snorted laughter. "He's got a point, Tommy."

Dr. O. shook his head. "How much does he know?" he asked of the three Rangers, and since Eric didn't find that this directly concerned him —though it was obviously about him— he wandered over to the console and took the chair opposite the woman. "Hi, I don't know you," he said. Up close, it was obvious that she was older, closer to Dr. O.'s age than Eric's, but she was kind of hot.

"I'm Hayley."

"I'm Eric," he grinned.

"I heard. You are so much like your brother."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

She laughed.

"So this is all the shiny equipment," he said. "Do you have cameras set up all over the city?"

"Operated by sensors. Any place where there's unusual activity, Tommy has it monitored and logged."

"If you don't mind my asking, what the hell is a dude like Teacher Man over there doing as a Power Ranger? Isn't he kind of..." he gestured erratically. "You know, old?"

"Don't let him hear you say that. Tommy's very sensitive about his age. But he's probably better equipped to be a Ranger than anyone else in this room."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, you know, just years upon years of martial arts training. Doesn't equate with ninja school, exactly, but..." She smiled.

"Wait, you know about that?"

"Conner let it slip. This was back before he was better at keeping secrets. Besides, it can't be that big of a secret if you told Conner."

"Got me there."

"Eric?" called Dr. O.

"Yo," said Eric, spinning around the chair and jumping off the platform. He skidded to a stop in front of the Rangers and put on his best smile. "What's up?"

"So from what I understand, you're going to be filling in as Red Ranger until Conner recovers."

"I know. Cool, isn't it?"

"Debatable." Dr. O. sighed. "Being a Ranger isn't easy, Eric. It's—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You have to give up a lot. You don't get much sleep. No one gives you credit. You still have your real life to attend to."

"Well...yeah. Something like that." The man looked surprised that Eric had said what he'd wanted to say, and that Eric was perceptive enough to pick up on the complications of the double life.

"Don't worry, dude, I'm okay with it. I want to help." It didn't seem to be working, so Eric opted a different tack: "Please"

"Dr. O., come on," said Ethan. "We need him. And he's willing. That's a bonus. Were any of us willing when we started?"

"All right." Dr. O. shrugged one shoulder. "Are you and Conner identical twins?"

"Um, look at them," said Trent. "I'm going with yes."

"They could be fraternal," Dr. O. offered. "The Olsen twins are fraternal."

"Really?" said Hayley, cocking her head to one side, while Ethan burst into laughter. "Dude, the fact that you know the first thing about the Olsen twins has made this conversation _very_ uncomfortable." His back to Ethan, Dr. O. rolled his eyes skyward.

"Yeah, we're identical," Eric offered. He would've liked to join in on the teasing of the old dude, but since he wasn't actually a member of the team yet, it seemed kind of wrong.

"Hmm. Then you should be able to operate the Zords and the morpher. Your DNA is identical to Conner's, but the gem has already bonded to him, so while you'll be able to use it to morph, you won't get his powers."

"Conner has powers?" said Eric, eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Super speed," offered Trent.

"How totally Smallville. Do you guys all have super powers?"

"I've got a sonic scream, Trent has camouflage, Dr. O. has invisibility, and Ethan has leprosy," said Kira.

"For the last time, it's _armor_!" yelled Ethan. Dr. O. and Trent tried to hide their smirks.

"Well, I'm sorry, but it looks like you've got some kind of skin disease."

"Can I see?" asked Eric eagerly.

Ethan pushed his sleeve off his forearm, scrunched up his face in concentration, and his arm turned a bluish tint, with a scaly-looking pattern crossing it. Eric stuck out his tongue. "Dude, that's sick."

Trent and Kira burst into laughter, and Ethan pulled his shirt back down, looking pissed.

Eric nodded to Hayley. "Do you have any powers?"

"With their powers combined, I am Captain Mechanic," she said calmly.

"Hayley does Zord maintenance, surveillance, and basically makes us new toys whenever we want," said Ethan.

"I am not your gadget whore, Ethan," said Hayley sharply, and turned around to face the console once more.

Ethan stared at her back. Hayley had never yelled at any of them before, obviously, and Ethan didn't know what to do. Eric already was feeling a kinship with Hayley, the outsider, and he went over to sit next to her once more. "Maybe you can teach me how to fix things," he said. "So you don't have to do so much work."

"That's okay," she said.

"Ah, I see what game you're playing. Keep the secrets to yourself, so that you're the smartest one around," he said. "Shrewd."

Hayley laughed, and rewarded him with a small but warm smile. "I try".

"Is everything okay over there?" asked Dr. O.

"You know something, I think that Eric is going to be a real asset to the team," Hayley remarked.

"That's what I'm hoping."

"So I'm in?" asked Eric eagerly.

"If Conner's okay with this, then I'm okay with this," said Dr. O. "Welcome to the team, Eric."


	4. The Replacement

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and its characters, as always, do not belong to me. 

Summary: What if something happened to Conner, and the Rangers needed another teammate, and fast? Can Eric McKnight finally step out of his twin brother's shadow?

* * *

Eric discovered, much like his new friends said he would, that Rangering was not all it was cracked up to be.

It was so much more.

Eric loved it. He loved the battle, and finally getting an excuse to put his ninja skills to use, to real use...he loved training at the Academy, and he loved daily sparring, particularly on the occasions when he got to go one-on-one with Sensei Brooks (though he got eventually trounced every time), but it always seemed superficial. Martial arts were good for self-defense, but when did a tall, muscular, well-built boy that oozed confidence and pride ever get into a position where self-defense was required? Eric was popular at school, and not popular like some of the girls were, through a system of fear and respect, but he was actually well-liked. No one had beef with Eric McKnight, and no one ever would. So as much as he loved his training, and to a degree felt like it was a calling, it had never come in handy. Until now.

Tally and Kyle always made fun of him for being an earth ninja when he was obviously an airhead. But he very solid, and there was a certain weight to his motions and character, which had led to his earth classification. He was flaky, to be sure, but when Eric took something seriously, he took it very seriously. And he took his new role seriously.

The others were adjusting to his presence fairly easily. He was, in a lot of respects, just like Conner. The fact that he looked just like Conner didn't hurt, either. When they were hanging out at the Cyberspace, as they were wont to do, it was quite easy to forget that Eric hadn't just spent the day in school with them, so much like Conner he was. Like his brother, he was quick to say the first thing that jumped to his head without much regard for the consequences.

But he was a lot more pleasant and easy-going to be around than his twin. He had an affinity for video games that he chatted with Ethan over, and Ethan and Trent were attempting to get him into comics. Kira took it upon herself to act as the liaison between Eric and the Rangers, showing him the ropes. During the day, when the others were in school, and he wasn't annoying his brother, or trying to help his mom, he was usually hanging around Hayley.

Things were starting to get edgy when Mesogog hadn't attacked since Eric's arrival, and the practiced Rangers, while enjoying the time off, got inexplicably tense with anticipation—for what, they didn't know.

The four of them were all more or less settled into their new routines that they finally no longer felt the need to constantly be a group. Ethan was at computer club, and Eric was running errands, leaving Kira and Trent alone for the first time since Conner had gotten sick, spread out on the couch at Hayley's, attempting to do schoolwork.

"Kira, I have to ask," said Trent, tapping at the edge of his book in a nervous, jarring rhythm that he used whenever he had something to say that he didn't want to say.

"Hmm?" she said, not quite looking up from the notebook in her lap.

"What's the deal with you and Eric?"

She chewed slightly at her bottom lip, plugging through the equation before triumphantly scribbling down the answer. "What about Eric?" she asked, finally giving her boyfriend her full intention.

"Are you..." That was apparently not what he wanted to say. "You two seem to be getting along really well."

"He's...different. It's like he's Conner, but at the same time, he's so _not_ Conner that it's fascinating. It's like this weird Twilight Zone thing, hanging around him. You know?"

"That's not what I meant."

Kira cocked her head as she stared at him. "What did you mean, then?"

"I mean, are you...are you interested in him?"

"In Eric?" she laughed. "Eric McKnight? You're kidding, right?"

"Should I be concerned?" he asked in the same, quiet serious tone he'd used when first telling her he was the White Ranger. The two situations were markedly different.

Kira kissed his forehead. "Don't be a moron. That's Eric and Conner's department. And I don't date morons." She smirked. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous."

"And I'm the Pink Ranger."

"You'd look good in pink," he teased, poking her arm.

"Oh, those are fighting words," she said, bumping her shoulder into his. "Do you think you could take me on, Trent?"

"I could," he said, tickling her side until she laughed. The alarm went off sharply on their wrists, and immediately they straightened. Kira sighed. "Isn't that always the case," she said, and answered her communicator. "You've got Kira and Trent here."

"Tyrannodrone attack at the downtown plaza," said Hayley. "Eric's defending them by himself."

"He's never done a solo run before," said Kira, casting Trent a worried glance. "We're on our way."

But as Kira and Trent arrived on the scene to see Eric nailing down three drones with one blow. They rushed in to share his burden, and when the attack dissipated, Eric brushed his hair off his forehead with a tired grin.

"That was crazy," said Kira.

"Drones are a little heavier than Kelzacks. Wipes you out."

"What are Kelzacks?" asked Trent.

"Lothor's minion of choice," said Dr. O., as he and Ethan ran up. "Sorry we're late." They'd come from the school.

"No problem," said Kira. "Eric did fine by himself."

"When did you fight Kelzacks, Eric?" asked Dr. O.

"Last year. Me and Kyle and Tally. We did okay. Sensei Watanabe asked us to join the Academy because of it. That's not it, is it?" he asked. "I mean, the attack. They wouldn't just send Tyrannodrones without reason, would they?"

"He's getting good," said Ethan with an impressed look.

"Too good," said Hayley over the communicators. "We've got a big one, kids. Morph and Zord it up."

"Roger that, el capitano," said Eric. There was a long pause, as he realized everyone was staring at him expectantly. "What?"

"Oh, sorry," said Kira, blinking. "Conner usually calls the morph, is all..."

"Right," said Eric.

"I'll take care of it this time," said Dr. O. gently. "Ready," he commanded, and they answered in turn. Eric felt a little tense—fighting Tyrannodrones was no big, but this was the first time he'd be using the morpher, the first time he'd be going into battle as the Red Ranger, and not as a ninja student. "Dino Thunder, power up!" he called.

It was weird being in morph. It felt lighter, maybe that was the spandex. But it wasn't so much the costume as it was what came with the uniform. He felt stronger, faster, less—all right, not less scared, but there was this odd sensation, a certain confidence that didn't take away the fear, just made it seem less important. It was like having some noise in the background, then turning up the radio just loud enough to drown it out. The noise was still there, but Eric couldn't hear it.

He knew they were looking to him to lead. Some pretenses needed to be kept, because Mesogog and friends would notice if the Red Ranger was no longer leading. They had discussed this at length during one of the many meetings that had come with Dr. O.'s acceptance of the situation.

Too bad that Eric didn't have a clue what he was doing.

Fortunately, the Zords could only be accessed from the Brachio Zord, and since Dr. O. commanded the Brachio Zord, it was logical for him to call it out, and save Eric the trouble of figuring out how. Conner had said that any one of them could do it, but Dr. O. did it the most often. So Eric just had to kick back, and then get absorbed into the Tyranno Zord.

"The best you can give me is that tired old toy?" the monster sneered.

"I was feeling old school," said Eric in response, charging the Megazord into battle. They bashed arms against each other for a bit, as the Megazord ducked an energy blast, and finally Eric had had enough. "Ankylo Zord!" he commanded, and it switched arms. "Double Drill Attack!"

One drill, then two, sliced through their opponent, rendering him nothing but ooze and ash and very little threat. Eric beamed beneath his helmet. He had morphed. He had piloted a Zord. He had lead his team through a successful battle. He was the baddest badass ever. Woo!

"Um, Eric..." said Ethan, and Eric looked to see the Blue Ranger staring at him. On the other side, the Yellow Ranger was also staring. Eric realized he'd said the last part aloud. "Uh..." he said with a nervous laugh.

"Guys, can we put the Zords away now?" came Hayley's voice over Eric's morpher. "Unless you want to start decorating for Christmas early."

"Right, Hayley," said Ethan, and the three teens disembarked, powered down, and met up with Dr. O.

"How'd I do, chief?" asked Eric eagerly. "Was I okay?"

Dr. O. smiled, looking disbelieving and impressed all at once. "Like a real Red Ranger."


	5. The Raptor

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and its characters, as always, do not belong to me. 

Summary: What if something happened to Conner, and the Rangers needed another teammate, and fast? Can Eric McKnight finally step out of his twin brother's shadow?

Author's note: for the record, this takes place sometime around "Isn't It Lava-ly".

* * *

Eric was quickly coming up on the end of his break from the Academy, but Conner was no better, nor was he expected to be. Which meant Eric had to stay in Reefside, and continue to be a Ranger. The downside of that was that he was going to have to get a hold of Sensei, and try to beg off his Academy duties, something that he didn't think would go over well. He was dreading it, and once his mom had left for work, and Conner had passed out after breakfast, Eric had retreated to the kitchen to work up the courage.

Funny how he could take on Mesogog and friends without any prior experience, and not be scared, but the idea of calling Sensei made him want to wet himself.

Eric sighed, pacing the length of the kitchen a few times before finally picking up the phone and dialing the Academy's private number. "Good afternoon, Wind Ninja Academy," the voice on the other end asked, female, perky, and awfully familiar-sounding.

"Hello, can you patch me through to Kanoi Watanabe?" asked Eric formally.

"Eric?"

"Kapri?" he realized.

"Hi! How are you?" she asked.

"I'm okay," he said. "You don't normally work the phones, what gives?"

"The normal woman took the break off, and I'm doing this as a favor to Uncle," she said. "This place is so dead, Eric, I can't wait until break is over so everyone comes back. How are things at your mom's?"

"They're okay," he said. "My brother has mono."

"That's horrible," she said sympathetically.

"Only for him," he said. "Can I talk to Sensei?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry."

"No problem," he said, and she patched him through.

"Hello, Eric." Eric didn't know if Sensei Watanabe had caller ID, or a special ninja sense that let him know who was calling, but it bothered him a lot. "What is troubling you?"

"Well, Sensei, there's a...problem. I have to stay in Reefside for...something...and I don't know if I'll be back in time for the new semester. It's very important," he added hurriedly.

"Eric, you have been expelled from the Academy once already, have you not?" said Sensei in his unnervingly patient tone.

"I was suspended," corrected Eric in a small voice, still a little ashamed, particularly in the face of the man in charge of the institution.

"Yes. Wouldn't you agree that it is prudent to be present for the start of term, then? That is, if you would like to continue your training."

"I do, Sensei, really, I do. But I can't make it back. This...thing, it's really important. I can't say why, but I can't just leave."

There was a long pause, and Eric wondered if Sensei had hung up on him, deeming Eric McKnight a worthless cause. "Eric, you are staying in Reefside with your mother and brother, correct?"

"Yeah," said Eric, relieved that the ninja master hadn't abandoned him yet. "I owed them a visit."

"Are there not monsters attacking Reefside?"

"Yeah..." said Eric hesitantly.

"Presumably there would be Power Rangers to defend against monster threats, correct?"

"Um...that's right."

"Could it be possible, then, that your request for an extended leave is somehow related to that particular dilemma?"

How did the dude know? "Um, yes, Sensei, the two could maybe be connected."

"Very well. I admire your resolve in this matter. Your request is granted, Eric, but I highly recommend that you continue your training rigorously."

"I don't see how that's possible, Sensei," said Eric, wincing as he realized too late that maybe that hadn't been the best thing to say. "I mean..."

"I believe arrangements can be made, Eric. Enjoy your break," the ninja master said enigmatically, hanging up. Eric stared at the receiver. Even though he'd been going to the Academy for awhile now, he just couldn't get over the weirdness surrounding the place.

Still, he felt a lot better once he'd made the call, and felt the need to be on the move. He shouted a goodbye to his brother, heading out the door, into the borrowed Mustang, and drove to headquarters, sliding in next to the Jeep.

Eric bounded down the last few stairs into the lair, with a shouted greeting, only to be met by a giant, snarling, red dinosaur thingy. He screamed —more like yelped— and stepped back, tripping over the bottom step and landing on his butt. He was angled across the staircase, leaving the raptor —oh dear lord, it was a _raptor_— with perfect access to Eric's beloved guts and other vital parts, without even having to bend down. Wonderful. He was a human smorgasbord.

"Eric?" said Kira, coming into view from the corner of his eye.

He was glad his friend wasn't dead, but if she was still alive, it meant that the beast hadn't fed yet, which meant Eric had a good chance of dying horribly. "Don't...move..." he hissed, his chest heaving. "I saw this in _Jurassic Park_. They can't see you if you don't move."

"Hey, Big Red, c'mere," she said softly, and the raptor lifted his head, turning to look at her.

"Kira..!" said Eric in a panicky voice. But the raptor trotted over to Kira, bending his head and allowing her to pet him.

"It's just his feeding time," Kira explained. She waited for Eric to stop staring and get to his feet. "Eric, this is Red, Conner's Raptor Rider. He goes by smell rather than sight, so he can tell you're not Conner." She patted the raptor's head, adopted the soft tone again. "Red, this is Eric. He's going to be taking Conner's place for a little bit, okay?" The raptor hissed, a little too menacingly for Eric's liking, glaring at him with reptilian eyes. Kira handed Eric a bowl. "Here, feed him."

"So he can eat my hand?" said Eric, still staring down the dinosaur. It was a lot more of a stop-sign red than the reddish brown he'd seen in books, and the color definitely brought to mind the vibrant spandex of the uniform he had sported. Up close, Red was definitely more comical-looking than threatening. Then again... Eric swallowed, spotting again the rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

"He's not going to eat your hand," she assured him.

Eric squatted, putting the bowl on the floor halfway between him and the dinosaur. "Um, here boy," he said. "Nice..." he glanced in the dish, and swallowed hard, "—bug-covered dead...thing. Yum." The raptor abandoned Kira's side and hungrily attacked the dish, making a weird growling sound of what Eric perceived —he hoped— as contentment. Hesitantly he patted the head of the feeding monster, and when he was met without an armful of pointy teeth, he smiled. The skin wasn't leathery as he'd been expecting, but sort of metallic, and sort of natural, at the same time. It was odd. He noticed two other creatures in the corner, a blue one and a yellow one, also feeding, and apparently quite peaceful. He shook his head in awe. "Rangering is weird."

Kira grinned. "You have no idea."

He followed her over to the console, where Ethan was spinning on one of the chairs, tapping his fingers against the arm. "I hate when Dr. O. assigns busy work," he whined. "This data compilation thing is driving me insane."

"You could've opted for cleaning, like me," said Kira.

"And do work? No way." Kira swatted his shoulder, and he smiled over her at Eric. "I heard you with the Raptors." Eric quickly ran through the last few minutes in his mind, wonder if he'd squealed like a girl or not. "And dude, I've seen _Jurassic Park_ over fifty times," Ethan confided. "Red could've killed you, if he were built for that sort of thing. It's T-rexes that can't see movement. Raptors can."

"Don't question Ethan on geek matters," said Kira, laughing.

"Actually, _Jurassic Park_ was filled with discrepancies and untruths," said Dr. O. He was coming into the room, head bent over a clipboard.

"Oh, here it comes, the whole 'I have a degree in paleontology' lecture," said Ethan, rolling his eyes at Eric and Kira. "Dr. O., it's called sci-fi. As in, science _fiction_. Artistic license."

"You're just upset that you've been out-geeked," Dr. O. said with a grin.

"Don't even say such a thing," said Ethan.

"Have you guys fed the Raptors yet?" asked the Black Ranger.

"Yeah, Kira just got through feeding them. And Red made a new friend."

"Speaking of," said Kira, and they all turned to look as Red padded over towards them, stopping in front of Eric. Eric stiffened, and the raptor bent his head to sniff at him. "Um, hey, there, boy," he stammered, and Red lifted his head sharply at the sound, peering at Eric sideways through one yellow eye. The raptor sniffed at Eric's torso, and the boy swallowed hard. _Please not there, please not there, please not there..._

The raptor made a soft screeching sound, standing fully erect. He met Eric's gaze for a long moment before bowing his head finally.

"Nicely done, Eric!" said Dr. O., looking impressed. Eric nervously stretched out his hand and patted the raptor's head. "It took Conner a lot longer than that to establish a relationship with him, and that was even in morph."

"Dr. O.," said Ethan, nodding his head in the direction of the other two raptors, who were sharing a dish and had started nipping at each other. The blue one shrieked loudly, rearing back from the yellow one's snapping jaws, then lunged. Dr. O. quickly passed his clipboard off to Ethan, and rushed over to intervene. Red nuzzled his head into Eric's belly.

"Nothing like a boy and his dino," he remarked, stroking the weird texture of his new friend's neck. "What is he, exactly?"

"Part velociraptor DNA, part..." Ethan paused. "I'm not sure, actually. Not really machine, because he's definitely alive."

"Aren't the Zords alive?" asked Eric.

"They're more like living," said Ethan. "The ratio from metal to living tissue is a lot bigger than it is for the Raptors."

Kira, on the other hand, seemed fascinated by Eric and Red's interaction. "They've never taken to us like that," she remarked.

"You got that right," said Ethan. "Blue headbutted me once. In the most literal sense. His head, my butt. Hurt like hell; these guys aren't light." Off of Eric's look, he explained, "He was playing."

"They trust us, and would never intentionally hurt us," said Kira.

Ethan grinned. "Except when Dr. O. was training them. Big Red here threw him out of the room."

Red made a braying sound as though he understood. Eric smiled, squatting a little so he was closer to Red. "You'd never hurt me, would you, boy?" he asked cheerfully. Red pressed his head into Eric's hand.

"Everything Dr. O. designed is with the intent to help the Rangers," said Kira.

"Except the drones," said Ethan.

"Wait, Dr. O. created the Tyrannodrones?" said Eric, confused. He looked back and forth between his friends.

"Yeah, with Dr. Mercer."

Eric frowned. That name sounded familiar. "Trent's dad? How come Mesogog has them?"

"Mercer disappeared a few years back, and right afterwards, Mesogog destroyed the lab that Mercer and Dr. O. were working at, took the drones, and reprogrammed them to serve him."

"Fun guy. But Mercer didn't disappear, obviously."

"Well, he survived when the lab exploded, apparently," said Kira.

"The lab _exploded_?"

"Yeah. The lab and the entire island it was on. But anyway, he was lucky and survived."

"So why the whole disappearance thing?" said Eric.

Ethan shrugged. "He went upstate for hospitalization, came back with Trent. That's all Trent's ever said on the subject. He doesn't talk much about his birth parents, and we don't ask. Things are uncomfortable with him and Mercer, that's all I know."

Eric nodded seriously, taking the information in. Between that and the evil thing, no wonder Trent was so quiet.

"Down, guys, down!" Dr. O. yelled, running through the room with the blue and yellow raptors hot on his heels. Red's head swiveled immediately, and he abandoned Eric's side with a hiss, joining in the chase.

"Did I miss something?" asked Trent, following the unusual parade with his eyes as he descended the staircase. All four teens winced as a loud crash was heard in the next chamber.

"Dr. O. thinks he's in the Lost World," said Ethan. "Dude, where'd you come from?"

"Upstairs," said Trent calmly.

"Ha ha," said Ethan, rolling his eyes.

Kira went over and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss. "You're late."

Trent shrugged one shoulder. "Hayley needed me to close. Anything happening?"

"Not so much," said Eric. "Ethan was doing some smart thing, Kira was doing some compassionate thing, and Dr. O. was doing some old guy thing."

"I heard that!" the teacher called.

"Dude, you look totally wiped," said Eric to Trent. "Kinda like Sensei Dustin after Sensei Shane takes him out skating."

The others blinked, but Trent gave a tired smile. "The Cyberspace is getting a lot more popular. Good for Hayley, not so good for my sleeping habits."

Eric shook his head. "Sorry, dude."

"Not like there's anything you can do about it," the White Ranger said with a shrug.

"Speaking of things that need to be done..." said Dr. O., as the alarm went off.

They were immediately all business. "Ready?" asked Eric, and was surprised to find that he actually was.


	6. The Sensei

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and its characters, as always, do not belong to me. 

Summary: What if something happened to Conner, and the Rangers needed another teammate, and fast? Can Eric McKnight finally step out of his twin brother's shadow?

* * *

Eric was chilling in his brother's room, after his mom's repeat assurances that Eric would not catch mono from prolonged exposure. She wasn't a doctor, but she was at the least plying the boys with hourly sandwich deliveries, so Eric didn't mind sucking it up and watching still more ESPN. At least the day had been filled with some cheerleading competition. After the national title was bestowed upon the team from Mississippi, who, in Eric's eyes, had been wholly undeserving, Conner flicked off the TV and wriggled restlessly.

"You need something, bro?" said Eric.

"I need to be anywhere but here," answered Conner. "My body feels like it's dead from the neck down or something. I'm going to be so out of shape for the season."

Eric would've commented, but he was too busy thinking about how he hadn't been keeping up with his ninja training. Then again, fighting off Tyrannodrones regularly was giving him a workout, and he didn't have the bonus of extra powers like the rest of his teammates. He decided it evened out.

"Bro?" Conner's voice brought Eric back. "Are you in there?"

"Just thinking about the Rangers," said Eric quickly.

Conner nodded seriously. "I hear you."

"Thanks for letting me do this, dude. It's really cool of you."

"Hey man, I trust you." Eric tried to keep his face appropriately impassive, but actually he was surprised at Conner's admission. The boys' relationship had been strained for years, owing to large egos, strong alpha male personalities, and distance. It was only recently that Conner and Eric had begun behaving like brothers, although it was a transition that was difficult.

"Well, thanks. I won't let you down." They exchanged a smile, both clearly feeling uncomfortable about their moment of brotherly love.

"Hey," said Conner, breaking the awkward silence. "Did I ever tell you about the time I met Kylee Stiles?"

Eric straightened, sharply turning to stare at his bedridden brother. "No way. You serious?"

"Yeah. Check on the desk," he said, with a nod and a point.

Eric squirmed in his chair, twisting around to scan Conner's minimal CD collection, before locating the Kylee Stiles album in question. He pulled it, turning back around. "'To Connor, thanks for everything, love, Kylee.'" He glanced up, laughing in the face of Conner's smug expression. "She spelled your name with an O."

Conner's smile dropped, and he narrowed his eyes. "Details."

Smiling innocently, Eric replaced the CD.

"Really, it's a common mistake," said Conner, his voice rising ever-so-slightly. "I mean, Connor with an O is a much more popular spelling, it's easy to get confused..."

"Uh-huh," said Eric indulgently. He fought to keep the smirk from his face, knowing that having his name misspelled was one of Conner's top five pet peeves, along with other people driving his car, and having anyone be better-looking, better with women, or better at soccer than he was.

"Who was the last celebrity _you_ met?" said Conner. "And don't tell me you aren't totally jealous, because I know you have her poster hanging over your bed, you sicko."

"That was totally last year," Eric defended himself, wondering how Conner managed to turn the tables so quickly.

"Sure, dude," said Conner, now grinning widely.

Eric tried to think up a good comeback, but was saved by the obnoxious beep of the bracelet on his wrist. He tried not to show his relief at the interruption. "You've got Eric, what's up?"

"Eric, we need you down by the TV station," said Dr. O.

"Time for my close-up?"

"Yeah. There are a couple of Drones whose fists are begging for a close-up with your face."

Conner grinned. "Oh snap. You were asking for that."

Eric ignored his brother. "Sure thing, Doc. I'm on my way."

"Don't get beat too hard, bro," offered Conner as Eric got up. "Actually, do. Then I'll be the pretty one in the family."

"Con Man, even with two black eyes and a busted jaw, I'd still be better-looking than you."

* * *

The battle went easily, and was Eric and the team's last encounter with evil for at least a week. Instead, Eric spent his mornings hanging out with his brother, mocking him while he did homework, and his afternoons lounging around the base or the Cyberspace with the other Rangers. Of them, he liked hanging out with Hayley the best, he felt that she understood him. Or at the very least, that she made the effort better than the others did. Eric didn't know what it was about her, but she made him feel comfortable, which was something he really needed now that he was acting Red Ranger.

As thanks, he went out of his way to help her out when he could. She seemed overworked with a business to run and So he went out of his way to be extra nice to her, his own way of saying thanks for never once judging him.

One afternoon, nearing closing time, Eric was spinning on a bar stool, sipping the last of his third smoothie. "Hey, Hales, do you need help closing up?"

Hayley looked up from the cash register, where she was making notes on a legal pad. "Thanks for the offer, Eric, but I have Trent. He's getting paid, remember?" she said with a gentle smile.

Eric glanced across the room at Trent, who was mopping up one of the tables. He leaned in closer, so that Trent couldn't overhear. There were all of four lingering patrons to absorb the sound. "Listen, I think that Trent's feeling a little out of the loop. Ever since he joined the team, he hasn't had a chance to battle much, or hang out much, and I know it bugs him. The kid's rich enough that he doesn't need the job, let him have the afternoon off."

Hayley stared at Eric for a long moment. "If you insist. Trent!" she yelled across the room.

He looked up. "What?"

"Why don't you take off? Go hang out with your girlfriend."

"What about the rest of my shift? And I'm closing tonight."

"Eric's going to cover for you," she said. "Go on, get out of here."

Trent gave the table a halfhearted swipe, and then went to join them at the bar. "You're seriously going to take my shift?" he asked Eric.

"You don't need the money," said Eric with a shrug. "I'm not doing anything anyway. Really, you'll be doing me a favor, because I'll get to hang out with the beautiful Hayley here." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed.

"Okay," Trent answered, nodding slightly and wisely deciding not to press his luck. "Thanks, man."

"No prob," said Eric cheerfully. Trent passed him his cleaning rag, and with a bright smile, dashed out the door. Eric dropped the rag on the bar and flexed playfully at Hayley. "So what do you want me to do? Kick people out? I'll be your muscle."

"How about you finish what he started," she said, pushing the rag across the counter at him. "When you're done with that, you can stack the chairs, and it wouldn't hurt if you gave the bathrooms a good scrub down..."

"Aw, man," said Eric.

"What were you expecting, exactly?" she asked, laughing.

Eric rolled his eyes at her, but dutifully scampered off to do her bidding. He was just emerging from the men's bathroom, feeling utterly disgusted on behalf of his entire gender, when he saw someone coming in the doors. "Oh, dude, sorry, we're closed," he said, when he realized that Hayley had gone to her office. Then he stopped dead. "Sensei Cam."

"I didn't realize you had a job, Eric," said Cam, looking around the space.

"I don't," he said. "I'm just helping out a friend. What are you doing here?"

"Your mom said you'd be here."

Cam had been to his mom's house? Oh no, they really _were_ going to kick him out of the Academy. Apparently, he hadn't explained things to Sensei Watanabe as well as he'd thought. "What are you doing in Reefside, I mean," he stammered. Both the Watanabes sort of scared him, but Sensei seemed like a nice enough old dude underneath it all, whereas Cam was smug and mean and didn't like much of anyone.

"My father said you were going to be on extended leave from the Academy. He explained the... circumstances surrounding it, and suggested that we send a representative of the school to come down and help you keep up with your training. Seeing as how you probably need it more now than ever."

"You know?" said Eric in a small voice. Oh, _crap_, if the others found out...

"Don't worry," said Cam, and he then floored Eric by smiling. "If anyone can keep your secret, it's my father and me."

"Eric, who are you talking to?" said Hayley, her voice reaching the room before she did. "We're supposed to be closed..." Hayley had frozen in the doorway. "Cam?"

"Hayley?" said Cam. "I thought it seemed too big a coincidence that there was a place called Hayley's Cyberspace in Reefside." He crossed the room to her, actually _grinning_. Eric didn't think Sensei Cam even knew how to smile. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great," said Hayley. "Business is pretty good..." Eric was staring back and forth between the two of them, completely lost. Hayley was futzing with her hair, Cam was smiling... Eric had no idea what the hell was going on. Hayley seemed to notice his confusion, and offered the simplest explanation, "Cam and I met at a programming seminar last year." She looked at Cam. "Why are you here?"

"Looking for Eric, actually."

"You're from the Academy?" said Hayley, her eyebrows raising slightly. "Of course, it makes sense..."

"You know about the Academy?" asked Cam, then cast a disapproving look back at Eric.

"What, dude?" said Eric defensively. "You know about the Ranger thing!"

"You know about the Ranger thing?" said Hayley.

"You two know each other?" said Eric.

They all stared at each other for a long moment. "Someone needs to start explaining something," said Eric. He went over and locked the door. "How did Sensei know that I was an acting Ranger?" he demanded of Cam. "I never said anything." He glanced at Hayley. "I was keeping the secret."

"I trust you were, Eric," she said gently.

"You've heard the rumors," said Cam. "About what happened last year."

"The Wind Ninja Academy chose some students to be Rangers," said Eric.

"That's not entirely it. Lothor attacked the Academy, and abducted all of the students—except three."

Three students... "Sensei Dustin," said Eric. "And Senseis Shane and Tori."

Cam nodded. "They were selected to be Power Rangers, and defend against Lothor."

"But there were six Rangers," said Eric.

"Cam and I started talking regularly after the seminar," said Hayley, and while she was apparently speaking to Eric, her eyes were trained on Cam. "But his replies just became a lot more sporadic. About the same time as the Rangers came about."

"You were fighting against the Kelzacks," said Eric. "And you wanted me out of there. Not because I was doing a bad job, but because you needed to morph, and I wasn't supposed to see... _dude_." He grinned. "I knew I was a good fighter!"

Cam sighed. "Yes, thank you, Eric, for picking up on the least important thing." He looked to Hayley. "I'm sorry I didn't answer your emails as often. I was... otherwise occupied."

"I understand," she said with a gentle smile.

"So how come Sensei knew that's what I was doing?" said Eric.

"My father is not a stupid man. If you've been around Rangers long enough, there are a few signs you tend to recognize. Such as disappearing with vague excuses, and color-coded wardrobe. It's a miracle that more civilians don't pick up on this." He turned to Hayley. "I'm not surprised you picked up on it."

Hayley's cheeks were a little red. "Well, I've known Tommy since college," she said dismissively.

"Tommy Oliver?" said Cam.

"One and the same." Eric couldn't even begin to interpret that one, but he figured it had everything to do with the fact that nerds sought out their own. And being a science teacher, Dr. Oliver had to be pretty big on nerd radar.

"Of course Hayley knows about the Rangers," Eric piped up cheerfully. "She's one of us."

"No!" said Cam, looking surprised and impressed. "You're a Ranger?"

She shook her head. "Not quite. I'm Ranger tech."

"The Rangers wouldn't be anything if they didn't have Hayley behind them," said Eric loyally. He smiled at her, because he'd been with the team long enough to see the absolute truth in the statement.

"I used to do that," said Cam. "Well, I still did that, after I became a Ranger."

"How can you do both?" she marveled, with wide eyes and a tiny smile.

"I had to create a virtual replicate of myself. Cyber Cam. He's actually filling in now, while I'm here."

"You're still maintaining operations?" she asked. "I thought the Ranger program was discontinued."

"The Rangers lost their powers, yes." He shrugged. "But what can I say? Old habits die hard."

"Evil does have a tendency to pop up every now and again," she agreed. "How on earth did you clone yourself?"

"Cyber Cam isn't a clone. He's—"

"Hey, enough geek chat for now," said Eric. "Why don't we take this back to HQ? I'm supposed to be interacting with the group or something. And if Sensei Cam is a Ranger, then shouldn't he meet the other Rangers?"

There was a long pause, where the two geniuses stared at each other. "He has a point," said Hayley. "We can talk tech."

"Sounds great," said Cam with a smile.

Eric rolled his eyes, unseen. "Whee."


End file.
